DU junior defenseman Chris Nutini from Centennial sustained what could be a serious injury to his right ankle late in the second period.

Next up

At Minnesota State, Friday, 6:30 p.m.

END SECOND PERIOD, 5-3 DU

Pioneers jump ahead 5-1 with Kyle Ostrow’s breakaway goal before allowing goals at 12:08 and 19:59.9. The last number isn’t a typo. On the first faceoff after DU defenseman Chris Nutini took a penalty while suffering what could be a serious knee or ankle injury, Steven Seigo scored off a faceoff with .01 left on the clock. DU had complete control of this thing before the Huskies rallied.

END FIRST PERIOD, 4-1 DU

DU got sick goals from Joe Colborne, Matt Donovan and Drew Shore in a period that would have been 100 percent fundamentally sound if it weren’t for a breakdown on the penalty kill that helped MTU gain a 1-0 lead 2:22 into the game. The Pioneers were brilliant in producing four unanswered goals, beginning with a somewhat softy by sophomore defenseman Patrick Wiercioch. Shorthanded, Patty made a bad-angle wrist shot from below the left circle and the puck trickled in from under goalie Kevin Genoe’s armpit. Perfect placement or fortunate bounce? I’m not sure. Colborne made it 2-1 with a redirect off John Lee’s blast. This wasn’t just any redirect. Lee’s shot was low, and appeared headed towards Genoe’s chest, but Colborne forced the puck in high, opposite side, and it settled in the net flat — like a pancake against a wall. It was a dandy. Then, Donovan skated end-to-end like Alex Ovechkin, and drove around the net like the Great 8, and then figure-skated like, well, nevermind … his wrap-around was a thing of beauty. After Genoe was replaced by Josh Robinson, Shore capped the sensational period with a backhand-forehand-backhand move after Chris Knowlton, in traffic at the offensive dasher boards, found him alone atop the crease. Shore roofed his backhander, showing tremendous poise and stick skill. This wasn’t bad goaltending, folks. Genoe probably should have held on to Wiercioch’s shot, but the rest were sniped. I can remember a better offensive period by DU this season. The Pios have scored seven goals in their last two periods.

PREGAME, 6:21 p.m.

DU goes for its four consecutive weekend sweep and extend its winning streak to eight games. The Pios will go with the same lineup that beat the Huskies 5-2 last night. I failed to point out a couple things in today’s game story, beginning with the fact DU clinched home ice for the first round of the playoffs (wasn’t it obvious?). Also, senior forward and captain Rhett Rakhshani, despite posting just one shot last night, took over the lead in WCHA scoring (all games) with 40 points. He had an assist on Cody Brookwell’s game-opening goal last night. The Pios now have the league’s top sniper and top goalie in Marc Cheverie (18-3-3, 1.89 GAA, .939 saves, six shutouts). Other quick notes: DU junior center Jesse Martin will miss his seventh consecutive game. His separated shoulder is better, but as I wrote in a previous post, Martin said he still can’t shoot and take contact. He might return next weekend at MSU. . . . DU is 16-0-2 when leading after two periods and 17-0-1 when holding teams to two goals or fewer. . . . DU is 14-0-2 to begin a weekend, including the Oct. 15 game at Ohio State that was played on a Thursday.